- 12:56 AM
- 12/22/24
My picks:
Bucks by 3
Thunder by 6
Timberwolves by 4
Cavaliers by 8
Knicks by 14 (slam dunk)
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:39 PM on December 17, 2024
My picks:
Chiefs by 13 (lock)
Titans by 3
Commanders by 6
Ravens by 15 (lock)
Cowboys by 6
Jaguars by 3
Texans by 6
Broncos by 4
Lions by 4
Eagles by 8 (lock)
Cardinals by 5
Chargers by 6
Seahawks by 9 (lock)
Vikings by 17 (lock)
Falcons by 6
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:25 AM on December 15, 2024
Revised picks:
Bucks by 9
Thunder by 7
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:05 PM on December 14, 2024
My picks:
Bucks by 17 (slam dunk)
Mavericks by 4
Knicks by 11
Rockets by 13 (slam dunk)
I'd have more confidence in the Mavs heading into the Thunderdome tonight if I knew for sure that PJ (the Thunder-Destroyer) Washington were playing, but he's still listed as questionable with the Jimmy Butler/Joel Embiid/Andre Drummond flu that has been running through the Dallas locker room. Still, the Mavs seem to have OKC's number until proven otherwise.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:43 PM on December 10, 2024
Posting this at my own expense since I busted a slam on the GSW/Minnie game, but it looks like the Current Standings aren't including the last two games from last week, rcade.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:39 PM on December 10, 2024
Revised picks:
Jaguars by 4
Dolphins by 14 (lock)
Vikings by 9 (lock)
Saints by 5
Eagles by 17 (lock)
Steelers by 9
Buccaneers by 11 (lock)
Seahawks by 8
Bills by 8
49ers by 8
Chiefs by 6 (lock)
Bengals by 8
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:23 AM on December 08, 2024
My picks:
Lions by 13 (lock)
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:33 AM on December 05, 2024
My picks:
Knicks by 7
Nuggets by 4
Celtics by 14 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 11 (slam dunk)
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:40 PM on December 03, 2024
Revised picks:
Falcons by 6
Bengals by 9
Vikings by 10 (lock)
Patriots by 4
Seahawks by 8
Commanders by 9
Texans by 14 (lock)
Saints by 6
Buccaneers by 11 (lock)
Ravens by 9
Bills by 17 (lock)
Broncos by 4
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:50 AM on December 01, 2024
My picks:
Lions by 19 (lock)
Cowboys by 6
Dolphins by 7
Chiefs by 24 (lock)
Wishing all of the USian SpoFites a Happy Thanksgiving from chilly but beautiful Montreal.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:17 AM on November 28, 2024
My picks:
Heat by 4
Lakers by 11 (slam dunk)
Knicks by 5
Warriors by 7
Timberwolves by 3
Lakers by 6
I guess you could say we all got Thunderstruck.
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:35 PM on November 26, 2024
My picks:
Vikings by 7
Lions by 17 (lock)
Dolphins by 10 (lock)
Buccaneers by 17 (lock)
Commanders by 11 (lock)
Chiefs by 23 (lock)
Texans by 14 (lock)
Broncos by 8
Packers by 4
Seahawks by 5
Rams by 3
Ravens by 10
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:38 PM on November 22, 2024
Revised picks:
Thunder by 16 (slam dunk)
Well, scratch what I just said. In texting my Thunder friend I just learned Wemby is out tonight with a knee contusion. That's a bummer.
posted by Ufez Jones at 07:44 PM on November 19, 2024
I know the undefeated Cavs going into the Gahh-den is the headliner tonight (and it should be a great game), but I'm really looking forward to seeing how the OKC Thunder, who I believe don't have an active player over 6'9", are going to defend Wemby.
I still think they have enough firepower to win the game, but a swarm of Lu Dort, Cason Wallace, and J-Dub is going to be fun to watch.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:36 PM on November 19, 2024
My picks:
Cavaliers by 3
Thunder by 7
Bucks by 6
Knicks by 11 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 14 (slam dunk)
Mavericks by 7
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:22 PM on November 19, 2024
My picks:
Eagles by 6
Bears by 3
Lions by 15 (lock)
Vikings by 9
Dolphins by 7
Rams by 4
Saints by 8 (lock)
Jets by 5
Ravens by 7
Falcons by 4
49ers by 9 (lock)
Bills by 6
Bengals by 8
Texans by 17 (lock)
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:05 PM on November 14, 2024
My brain is doing the Dave Letterman "Uma, Oprah; Oprah, Uma" bit, but with "Edey, AD; AD, Edey".
Also, was there a glitch in the matrix that allowed Howard to pick Houston in Friday's Lakers/Spurs game?
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:37 PM on November 13, 2024
My picks:
Knicks by 14 (slam dunk)
Mavericks by 5
Thunder by 14 (slam dunk)
Lakers by 5
Lakers by 12 (slam dunk)
Warriors by 6
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:39 AM on November 12, 2024
Hahahaha, well, I walked right into that one.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:23 PM on November 06, 2024
My picks:
Celtics by 9 (slam dunk)
Clippers by 7
Mavericks by 8
Lakers by 15 (slam dunk)
Count me among those that think the Warriors have benefited from a soft opening schedule. Their upcoming stretch of @Bos/@Cle/@OKC/vs. Dal/vs. Mem will be a good opportunity for them to prove they belong in the conversation.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:41 PM on November 06, 2024
I was down in Tulsa visiting the Okie State-alum folks last week and watched about 75% of that pisspoor excuse of a Comehoming Game with them. Gundy's team appears to have completely quit on him. One of Arizona State's touchdown's could've been stopped if the safety had just bothered to push the runner six inches out of bounds. Just no effort whatsoever.
It's nice that he's deflecting criticism from his players, as he's always kind of famously done, but it's gotta be getting old. $25 milli will get you a real nice retirement palace on your choice of a number of lakes in the area.
I can't imagine Ollie Gordon is sleeping real well with his decision to come back for another season.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:19 PM on November 05, 2024
My picks:
Mavericks by 6
Pelicans by 5
Celtics by 11
Thunder by 13 (slam dunk)
Cavaliers by 8
Timberwolves by 8 (slam dunk)
I like Paolo quite a bit, but I think you owe Wemby a Je m'excuse, rcade.
I'm trying to picture any game that I wouldn't pick a healthy Celtics squad. At OKC is the only edge-case at the moment, but even then I'd have to think about it real hard. I likened their performance on opening night to "watching a fucking video game". They are ridiculous when they get rolling.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:23 PM on October 29, 2024
My picks:
Vikings by 9 (lock)
Bengals by 7
Ravens by 14 (lock)
Lions by 13 (lock)
Cardinals by 7
Jets by 6
Buccaneers by 8
Packers by 10
Texans by 14 (lock)
Chargers by 8
Bills by 7 (lock)
Broncos by 6
Chiefs by 17 (lock)
Bears by 4
49ers by 8
Steelers by 8
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:22 PM on October 24, 2024
The NBA has unveiled this year's court designs for the NBA Cup and most of them appear to be slightly less migraine-inducing than last season's (Thank Dirk). Philly and New Orleans really stand out as nice designs, IMO.
Speaking of, the tourney starts the week of Nov 11th. I don't know how much of a pain it would be on rcade's end, but does anyone (else) have any interest in adding a "Select the Cup Winner" prop to the NBA Pick 'Em before those games officially begin?
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:59 PM on October 24, 2024
My picks:
Celtics by 7
Lakers by 5
Bucks by 8
Suns by 12 (slam dunk)
Mavericks by 8 (slam dunk)
Nuggets by 6
Pacers by 4
Suns by 9
Boy am I glad the League is back and I can stop pretending I care about other things.
Enjoy the ceremony and game tonight, Howard!
posted by Ufez Jones at 04:55 PM on October 22, 2024
My picks:
Patriots by 4
Bills by 9 (lock)
Texans by 6
Giants by 3
Vikings by 6
Falcons by 8 (lock)
Bengals by 10 (lock)
Colts by 8
Commanders by 14 (lock)
Rams by 7
Chiefs by 3
Steelers by 9
Ravens by 6
Cardinals by 4
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:07 PM on October 18, 2024
The Cleveland Browns fire sale has officially begun with Amari Cooper going to the Bills for a 3rd Rounder.
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:58 PM on October 15, 2024
Revised picks:
Texans by 7
Ravens by 14 (lock)
Eagles by 10
Packers by 3
Saints by 5
Titans by 6
Chargers by 7
Steelers by 6
Lions by 6
Falcons by 8 (lock)
Bengals by 6
Bills by 13 (lock)
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:18 PM on October 13, 2024
My picks:
Seahawks by 3
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:02 PM on October 10, 2024
Happy 70th, ic23b!
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:28 PM on October 04, 2024
My picks:
Falcons by 6
Vikings by 14 (lock)
Bears by 8
Ravens by 7
Patriots by 3
Commanders by 3
Colts by 7
Texans by 3
Broncos by 6
49ers by 6
Rams by 3
Seahawks by 13 (lock)
Steelers by 6
Chiefs by 7
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:02 PM on October 03, 2024
Rest In Peace, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo. In his memory, let's revisit his 1998 appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Skip to the 5:00 mark if you want to go straight to the Helium-assisted Curly Howard impression.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:47 PM on September 30, 2024
My picks:
Cowboys by 3
Falcons by 6
Rams by 10 (lock)
Packers by 4
Steelers by 6
Jets by 9 (lock)
Eagles by 5
Bengals by 8
Texans by 10
Cardinals by 8 (lock)
49ers by 9
Raiders by 3
Chiefs by 8
Ravens by 3
Dolphins by 4
Lions by 11 (lock)
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:12 PM on September 26, 2024
Revised picks:
Browns by 6
Packers by 3
Colts by 4
Texans by 6
Saints by 6
Chargers by 4
Buccaneers by 9 (lock)
Raiders by 5
Seahawks by 6
Cowboys by 3
Rams by 7
Lions by 8
Chiefs by 6
Bills by 11
Bengals by 10
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:15 AM on September 22, 2024
My picks:
Jets by 7
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:25 AM on September 19, 2024
My picks:
Dolphins by 6
Cowboys by 7
Lions by 4
Colts by 3
Titans by 3
49ers by 7
Seahawks by 6
Commanders by 5
Chargers by 9
Jaguars by 7
Ravens by 13 (lock)
Rams by 5
Steelers by 6
Chiefs by 8
Texans by 11 (lock)
Eagles by 12 (lock)
posted by Ufez Jones at 04:49 PM on September 12, 2024
I very seriously doubt it, but I do hope that any Dolphins fans who found themselves upset over this incident but also shit-talked Colin Kaepernick are using this as a moment of reflection.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:54 AM on September 11, 2024
My picks:
Ravens by 6
Eagles by 3
Steelers by 4
Bills by 8
Bears by 4
Bengals by 8 (lock)
Texans by 9 (lock)
Dolphins by 4
Saints by 6
Vikings by 8
Chargers by 7
Seahawks by 6
Browns by 3
Buccaneers by 4
Lions by 6
49ers by 11 (lock)
My picks in a nutshell: I saw the Commanders @ Bucs matchup and thought "I don't know that I can confidently name a single player on either team going into this season".
So here we go.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:32 PM on September 05, 2024
I'm not going to say too much about it since I figure some folks are waiting for the prime time replay, but mon Dieu, that was a *fantastic* Opening Ceremony.
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:37 PM on July 26, 2024
One Republic, NoMich, who tbh I'm not particularly familiar with.
He's got a pretty impressive list of production credits to boot. Must be some kind of life.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:43 PM on July 14, 2024
That the kid I cracked jokes with in 4th and 5th grades turned out to be the lead singer of a band large enough to play events like the Opening Ceremony of the Euro Final will forever trip me out . Good on ya, Ryan T.
Fairly entertaining chess match so far. Plenty of movement up and down the field. I feel like Spain is gonna cash one of those corners in eventually, though.
posted by Ufez Jones at 03:47 PM on July 14, 2024
Down with the ship!
Congrats, ic23b, and to Howard and the rest of the Celtics fans too (I suppose).
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:41 PM on July 10, 2024
Today is one of those days that working from home really shines. Both of today's Euro Quarterfinals matches should be pretty fun.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:50 AM on July 05, 2024
Of the top 6 taken in last night's draft, 3 are from France, including the first 2 picks, and only 2 from the college ranks.
Half-tuning into the draft coverage last night, it sounds like this isn't just going to be a one-off thing either. There is apparently a large pool of talent emerging in France. This class will serve as an interesting experiment in how NBA-ready that talent actually is (Wemby doesn't count, ofc).
I'd like to think this also serves as a slight tip in the favor of sanity in the ongoing public back and forth between Mbappe/Thuram and the right-wing National Rally Party, but I have no idea if the NBA draft really registers for the public over there, especially in the middle of Euro 2024.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:25 PM on June 27, 2024
My favorite scenario is the one where Boston, who picks just before the Lakers, scoops him up and fleeces the Busses out of an extra future pick or two just for shits and giggles. The resulting chess match would be pretty fascinating.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:07 PM on June 27, 2024
Somewhere in Eastern Oklahoma, former Grizz Center Bryant "Big Country" Reeves is smiling contently thinking "This...this is my legacy".
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:14 AM on June 27, 2024
Big month for Chaminade College Prep School out in the Western STL Suburbs, where Jayson Tatum and Matthew Tkachuk were once classmates.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:27 PM on June 25, 2024
I hope NBC sends Snoop to Paris to cover the Olympics. I've really enjoyed his bits during the Track & Field Trials.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:23 PM on June 23, 2024
Here we go: Willie Mays Blasting Caps Spot.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:42 AM on June 20, 2024
Well, that was very satisfying.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:34 PM on June 14, 2024
I'm of two minds about Luka getting tossed last night: On the one hand, there is a tacit understanding in the NBA that sixth fouls are pretty damned difficult to earn in playoff games, so much so that I can recall Mavs' fans collective bootyholes pucker every time Lu Dort came back into the game with five fouls, assuming he'd get a few extra shots in before any ref would even raise a whistle to their lips. So it certainly felt like a huge break in protocol in the moment.
On the other hand: I'm not trying to add to the ongoing Luka dogpile too much, but he really has got to learn how to save his outrage for after the game. It wouldn't surprise me one bit to learn that Jaylen Brown went right at him on that drive figuring that he had a pretty good shot at getting a sloppy attempt at a charge as a result of Luka's mind being distracted and his reaction a half-step late. I'm also convinced that some significant portion of his injuries have been prolonged and/or exacerbated by some of the more outlandish foul-bait attempts. Maybe getting tossed in front of (most of) the 2011 Championship Squad *and* the Prime Minister of Slovenia will push him there. We can hope.
Overall I don't know that the reffing has been biased so much as just inconsistent within the games, which is really frustrating. Definitely feels like we've seen a lot of ticky-tack fouls one minute only to let someone get shoved out of the paint and into the third row during a rebound like they're in the pit at a Slayer show the next. For whatever it's worth, the Mavs have attempted six more free throws total in the three games, so it's not like we're seeing some kind of D-Wade getting 46(!) FTA's in two games in the '05 Finals-level bullshit or anything.
It was pretty amusing to see the ref completely ignore Derrick White intentionally try to foul on the inbound play at the end of the fourth last night. It's not often you see a basketball complain to the refs about not getting a whistle blown on them. Fortunately for Boston, Timmy Hardaway Jr. was the recipient of that inbound pass and he hasn't hit a field goal since game 6 vs. OKC back on May 18th, so one could argue the refs were doing them a solid on that one.
But really, I don't think it matters. This Boston team is incredibly good, and I'm not sure they're going to get the full respect they deserve for this run. They have four or five future Hall of Famers, two that are on the upswing of their primes, and are very well-coached and well-disciplined. And hoo-boy do they close out quarters well, something the Mavericks had been excelling at up until this series. I doubt there's another team in the West this year that would've fared much better (last season's Nuggets would have mad for a very fun Finals, but they didn't seem to have that same hunger this year for whatever reason; this Celtics squad would have cooked cooked the T-Wolves or OKC had either of them made the finals).
Okay, thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:25 PM on June 13, 2024
Always pay for the ferry.
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:29 PM on June 13, 2024
My picks:
Mavericks in 6
Top point scorer: Luka Doncic
Top rebounder: Dereck Lively II
Game 1 winner: Celtics
Team scoring most points in game: Celtics
Series MVP: Luka Doncic
Top fouler: Daniel Gafford
Top three-point shooter: Jaylen Brown
Winning team points last game: 119
Paisley the Lob Goblin is ready to rumble!
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:46 PM on June 05, 2024
Yeah, I'm grateful that several Mavs have some extra time to heal up but I may start getting a little twitchy come Monday night.
posted by Ufez Jones at 06:57 PM on May 31, 2024
Sorry Seattle, we need to put an NBA team in Halifax. For reasons.
posted by Ufez Jones at 05:25 PM on May 31, 2024
I can't say I'm looking forward to Boston's fans taking their years-old grievances out on their former players.
Dwight Powell deserves better than that.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:33 AM on May 27, 2024
My picks:
Celtics in 6
Mavericks in 6
Top point scorer: Jayson Tatum
Top rebounder: Daniel Gafford
Most points per game: Celtics
Team giving up fewest points: Mavericks
Let's Go Mavs!
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:44 PM on May 21, 2024
Congrats to Howard for being the only one to get all four Conference Finals teams correct!
This has been a good year to be a Dallas homer.
It has, but I'm not feeling lucky enough to take a player that was eliminated in the first round on one of the props (might want to rethink that Bobby Portis pick, rcade).
posted by Ufez Jones at 02:26 PM on May 21, 2024
And the Rangers are reigning World Series Champs!
Your move, Jerry.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:59 AM on May 19, 2024
NBA Cup Looking Up in Year Two
I know the final game didn't wind up being particularly competitive, but I do like the tournament overall, which I think is about the best as can be asked for. It gives a fan of a Western Conference team a small reason to pay attention to some early Eastern Conference games (and vice versa) and might help spread the word to the masses that basketball is indeed being played. It's an uphill battle trying to do much of anything during football season, but I do think it's a good product, and much more interesting than the All-Star Game.
If Darvin Ham gets a new head coaching gig with, say, Utah or something next season and they wind up winning *that* IST, they should just rename the whole thing after him, Emirate money be damned.